Terpinolene

Say itter-PIN-uh-leen

Sweet, fresh piney citrus with a woody, old-lemon-peel and lime edge.

What it is: A molecule made from a natural raw material.
Where it comes from: made industrially from pine terpenes (alpha-pinene or turpentine)
When you smell it: Top notes: when you spray it.
What perfumers do with it: Cheap lime-pine top note, above all in soaps and detergents; also in lime and conifer accords.
Worth knowing: Steam-distilling lime oil lets acid turn some limonene into terpinolene and terpineol, the source of distilled lime's 'cola lime' smell.
Rules: Limited. EU label-named allergen since Regulation (EU) 2023/1545; peroxide value must stay under 10 mmol/L
Also called: terpinolene; delta-terpinene; δ-terpinene; p-mentha-1,4(8)-diene